Spoiler warning: This guide gives progressively stronger hints for NYT Connections #453 before revealing all four answers. The puzzle is from Friday, September 6, 2024—not September 6, 2025, which was a different puzzle.
NYT Connections #453: The 16 words
If you want to work through the board before seeing the hints, here are the 16 words from the standard NYT Connections puzzle:
AMOUNT, COUNT, NUMBER, TOTAL, AFFAIR, EPISODE, EVENT, MATTER, BILL, CARD, CATALOG, LETTER, BOUNCE, COIL, GEYSER, SEASON
Hints for Connections #453
Start with the broadest clues below. If you are still stuck, move to the stronger hints. The answers appear farther down the page.
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Yellow group hint: Quantity
These words can describe how much or how many of something there is.
Green group hint: An incident or occurrence
Each word in this group can refer to something that happened, a situation, or a subject being discussed.
Blue group hint: Things received in the mail
Think of ordinary items that might arrive in a mailbox or through the postal service.
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Purple group hint: Meanings associated with “spring”
The final group depends on the different things “spring” can mean. It may describe a movement, a mechanical object, a time of year, or a natural feature.
Stronger clues
- Quantity: One word means the whole amount; another can indicate a tally.
- Incident: These words can describe an occurrence, situation, or matter under consideration.
- Mail: One is a request for payment, one is correspondence, one is a printed listing, and one can be sent as a greeting or message.
- “Spring”: One word suggests a jump or rebound, one is a tightly wound component, one is a natural water feature, and one is a season.
Connections #453 answers for September 6, 2024
Yellow: Quantity
AMOUNT, COUNT, NUMBER, TOTAL
All four words relate to quantity or to expressing how much or how many there are. “Count” can be the act or result of tallying, while “amount,” “number,” and “total” can all describe the quantity itself.
Green: Incident
AFFAIR, EPISODE, EVENT, MATTER
Each of these words can refer to an incident, occurrence, situation, or subject of concern. This group is easy to miss because affair and matter have several other common meanings, making them effective red herrings.
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Blue: Things received in the mail
BILL, CARD, CATALOG, LETTER
These are familiar items that may arrive through the postal mail. The puzzle uses the American-English spelling CATALOG, rather than the British spelling “catalogue.”
Purple: What “spring” might refer to
BOUNCE, COIL, GEYSER, SEASON
This is the most indirect group. A spring can involve a BOUNCE, be a mechanical COIL, refer to the SEASON, or describe a natural spring or hot spring. A GEYSER is not a strict synonym for “spring,” but it belongs through the natural-water meaning of the word.
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Why the last two groups can be difficult
The board contains several words that could plausibly fit more than one idea. AFFAIR and MATTER, for example, have meanings that can pull attention away from the incident category. The purple group also uses associations rather than direct synonyms: “spring” is the shared connection, not a word that can simply replace every answer in the group.
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A practical way to approach the puzzle is to lock in the most literal group first—AMOUNT, COUNT, NUMBER, TOTAL—then examine the remaining words for a common context. Once the mail-related words are removed, the incident group becomes clearer, leaving the four “spring” associations as the final category.
More puzzles to solve offline
If you enjoy word games beyond the daily Connections grid, a New York Times puzzle book is a natural next step. Check the edition’s description carefully: the relevant publisher category includes New York Times puzzle books, but that does not mean a particular volume contains Connections #453 or Connections puzzles at all.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Frequently Asked Questions
What was the answer to NYT Connections #453 on September 6, 2024?
The four groups were Quantity—AMOUNT, COUNT, NUMBER, TOTAL; Incident—AFFAIR, EPISODE, EVENT, MATTER; Things Received in the Mail—BILL, CARD, CATALOG, LETTER; and What “Spring” Might Refer To—BOUNCE, COIL, GEYSER, SEASON.
Why is GEYSER in the “spring” category?
The category is based on things “spring” might refer to, rather than strict synonyms. A geyser is a natural water feature related to the natural-spring meaning of “spring,” while the other answers point to a bounce, a coil, and the season.
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Is this the Connections puzzle from September 6, 2025?
No. This guide covers the standard NYT Connections puzzle #453 from September 6, 2024. The September 6, 2025 puzzle had a different number and different answers.
The Bottom Line
Connections #453, from September 6, 2024, groups its words around quantity, incidents, mail, and the different meanings of “spring.” The key to the final category is recognizing that GEYSER is connected by association with a natural spring rather than being a direct synonym.
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